Pumping Iron

Schwarzenegger, already a five-time Mr. Olympia, is charismatic and calculating. He trains at Gold's Gym in Venice, California, and openly uses psychological tactics to unsettle rivals.

Ferrigno, a young challenger from Brooklyn, trains with his father, who is also his coach. Their contrasting backgrounds and personalities provide the film's dramatic core.

The documentary also follows competitors in the Mr. Universe contest, showing the discipline, diet and preparation the sport demands.

Some scenes were staged or shaped for drama, a common practice in documentaries of the period that the filmmakers later acknowledged.

For sport marketers, Pumping Iron is an early example of a documentary changing a sport's public image. Bodybuilding moved from the margins toward the mainstream, creating commercial opportunities for gyms, supplements and media.

It also shows the power of a single personality to build a sport's profile. Schwarzenegger went on to build a business, film and political career partly on the exposure the film provided.

Fitness industry professionals can trace the roots of today's training culture to the gyms and personalities the film captured.

Watch Pumping Iron if you work in fitness, sport marketing or athlete branding, or want to understand how documentaries can grow a sport.

Some scenes were staged for dramatic effect. This Shelf feature reflects the film's story and themes; it is not a scene-by-scene review.